What’s Fresh: Radiohead, Twin Peaks and Modern Baseball

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What’s Fresh is The DePaulia’s weekly rundown of the latest in arts and entertainment. This week: Modern Baseball, Radiohead and Twin Peaks.

Modern Baseball

“Holy Ghost”

May 13

On first listen, it’s sometimes hard to tell that Modern Baseball has two singers. Jake Ewald and Brendan Lukens, the vocalists of the four-piece emo band from Philadelphia, usually compliment each other so well that it made their individual tracks interchangeable.

But on “Holy Ghost” — the band’s third release, out Friday — Ewald and Lukens have split up the singing duties with each having a different half of the record to take lead on. While the sound is largely familiar, the two sides create for an album that’s albeit uneven, but still solid.

Gone are the type of hooks and self-loathing that made “You’re Gonna Miss it All,” the band’s last album, a force. Instead, Modern Baseball has tried to redefine themselves with a more mature sound. On Ewald’s half, the stellar run of “Note to Self,” “Mass” and “Everyday” explores the mounting challenges of growing older and facing the problems head on.

On the other hand, it’s almost jarring how Lukens tracks depart from anything that Modern Baseball has done before. The tracks are short, loud and confrontational. Lukens, who has admitted that he’s battled with alcoholism and has contemplated suicide, wrote the tracks fresh out of rehab. “Holy Ghost” clocks in just under 30 minutes, and Luken’s tracks are a large reason why.

That being said, Modern Baseball is still growing up — and where they go from here is a question sure to excite. — Matthew Paras

Radiohead

“A Moon Shaped Pool”

May 8

After a week of teasing by deleting their online presence and dropping a pair of new music videos, indie rock legends Radiohead have released their ninth studio album, “A Moon Shaped Pool. “The band mix drum machines and electronic instrumentation with orchestras and choirs, filling each song with the sense of anxiety and paranoia that is present throughout their catalog. Many songs, great in their own right, have been performed live before this album process, but one stand out in particular is the closing track “True Love Waits,” a heartbreaking love song Thom Yorke has been singing for over 20 years. — Marty O’Connell

Twin Peaks

“Down in Heaven”

May 13

Chicago’s own Twin Peaks’ third album “Down in Heaven” pays homage to classic garage rock bands in the best way. From guitarist and vocalist Clay Frankel’s frantic vocals on “Butterfly” to the masterful instrumental work throughout the album, the fantastic album transports listeners back to the genre’s heydey, the ‘60s, and makes me feel guilty for owning a digital copy of “Down in Heaven,” rather than a physical one. — Erin Yarnall